Written Answers Wednesday 21 March 2007

Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the Scottish Ambulance Service is not subject to a regular inspection of its functions and performance in the same way as prisons, police forces and schools.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Ambulance Service is subject to regular inspection of its functions and performance, as are all other health boards across Scotland.

  The Scottish Ambulance Service produces a Local Delivery Plan each year which is agreed with the Health Department and sets out the performance targets for the year. Progress against this plan is monitored by the Health Department and is discussed by the Ambulance Service Board at its meetings throughout the year.

  In addition, I chair an annual review meeting with the ambulance service’s chairman and members of the management team. This meeting is held in public and is about supporting the ambulance service in delivering the functions and responsibilities delegated to it using a process which enables the Health Department and Scottish ministers to determine how effectively these are being discharged.

  The ambulance service is also subject to regular inspection by the Health and Safety Executive and review by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland.

Ambulance Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers received a copy of the findings of the recent staff survey undertaken by the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Mr Andy Kerr: The survey referred to is an NHS Staff Opinion Survey in which all staff in NHSScotland are invited to participate and which was undertaken in 2006. It covers a wide range of issues such as communication, personal development, involvement in decisions and fairness and consistency of treatment. NHS boards are then explicitly required to incorporate feedback from the survey into their local Staff Governance action plan, which is developed in partnership with local representatives from trade unions and professional organisations and helps to prioritise those issues that are most important to staff at a local level.

  Staff governance, including action plans covering the findings from local staff surveys, form a key part of the discussions I hold with board chairs and chief executives during the public annual review meetings.

Ambulance Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the current performance indicators used by the Scottish Ambulance Service to take account of the number of stages between a patients call for assistance and safe arrival at hospital and to better reflect quality of care for patients.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Ambulance Service monitors each of the stages between a call coming into the 999 emergency service through to turnaround time at hospital including allocation time, time to scene, time at scene and time to hospital, and reviews the performance regularly to identify any areas for improvement.

  This information, along with the performance against the key indicators covered in the ambulance service’s Local Delivery Plan (LDP), is submitted regularly to the health department. The key performance indicators are reviewed annually as part of the review of the ambulance service’s LDP.

Ambulance Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what input frontline ambulance staff had in setting the existing performance indicators for the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Mr Andy Kerr: The current performance indicators for responding to 999 emergency calls were originally identified when the ambulance service was putting forward its proposals for introducing priority based dispatch in 2001-02. The ambulance service engaged with stakeholders, including staff, over a two year period and there were staff representatives (paramedics and technicians) on the project team. This process of engagement has continued each year as the ambulance service has developed its key performance management document which is, since 2006, the Local Delivery Plan.

Bankruptcy

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many companies have been declared bankrupt in each of the last 10 years.

Johann Lamont: The Accountant in Bankruptcy maintains the Register of Insolvencies in Scotland. Details of corporate insolvencies are compiled by financial year. The following table gives the number of compulsory liquidations and receiverships for the financial years 1999-2000 to 2005-06. Figures for previous years are incomplete because administrators and receivers were not required to send forms to the Accountant in Bankruptcy until July 1999. These figures refer to limited companies only as partnerships and other unincorporated business associations, which are declared bankrupt in Scotland, are registered as personal bankruptcies under Scottish law. Figures on these are not available separately from other personal bankruptcies.

  

 Financial Year
 Number of Compulsory Liquidations 
in Scotland
 Number of Receiverships 
in Scotland


 1999-2000 Part Year
 197
 57


 2000-01
 375
 104


 2001-02
 460
 86


 2002-03
 535
 124


 2003-04
 441
 102


 2004-05
 470
 73


 2005-06
 469
 31



  Source: Accountant in Bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been declared bankrupt in each year since 1995 and, of these, how many were student loan borrowers.

Johann Lamont: The Accountant in Bankruptcy maintains the Register of Insolvencies in Scotland. Details of bankruptcies are compiled by financial year. The following table gives the number of bankruptcies for the financial years 1995-96 to 2005-06. Statistics on how many debtors were student borrowers is not held on the register.

  

 Financial Year
 Number of Bankruptcies in Scotland


 1995-96
 2,379


 1996-97
 2,534


 1997-98
 2,701


 1998-99
 2,701


 1999-2000
 3,110


 2000-01
 3,185


 2001-02
 3,193


 2002-03
 3,228


 2003-04
 3,309


 2004-05
 3,521


 2005-06
 5,423



  Source: Accountant in Bankruptcy.

Careers Service

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has evaluated the impact of the integration of the careers service in the Western Isles into Highlands and Islands Enterprise and, if so, what the impact will be on the level of resources required to meet the needs of clients.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has not evaluated the impact of the integration of the careers service in the Western Isles into Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Communities

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funds it has allocated to the Stirling area under the Community Safety Award Programme.

Johann Lamont: The Scottish Executive made available a total of £246,353.21 to Stirling Community Safety Partnership over the period 2005-08 under the Community Safety Partnership Award programme.

Computer Misuse Act 1990

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) prosecutions were brought and (b) convictions were obtained for offences committed under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in the last five years.

Cathy Jamieson: In the period 2001-02 to 2005-06 one person, in 2004-05, was proceeded against where the main offence involved was under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. The person involved was acquitted.

Crime

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there were for assaults on serving police officers in each of the last three years, broken down by police force.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information, which relates to prosecutions under section 41(1)(a) of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967, is given in the following table. This section of the 1967 Act provides that any person who "assaults, resists, obstructs, molests or hinders a constable…" shall be guilty of an offence. Offences which specifically involve an assault on a police officer can not generally be identified separately from other section 41(1)(a) offences in the data held centrally. Similarly, other assaults on police officers which may result in other charges such as serious assault or attempted murder can not be identified separately in the available statistics. Summary statistics on the outcome of court proceedings concluded in 2005-06 are planned for publication on 21 March.

  Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish courts for an Offence Under Section 41(1)(a) of the Police (Scotland) Act 19671, by Police Force Area, 2002-03 to 2004-05

  

 Police Force Area
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05


 Central
 188
 180
 219


 Dumfries and Galloway
 93
 97
 83


 Fife 
 174
 178
 167


 Grampian
 289
 329
 297


 Lothian and Borders
 476
 451
 391


 Northern
 175
 227
 195


 Strathclyde
 1,405
 1,683
 1,863


 Tayside
 364
 370
 385


 Scotland 
 3,164
 3,515
 3,600

Crime

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) arrests, (b) charges and (c) successful prosecutions for incitement to racial hatred there were in each of the last five years, broken down by police force.

Cathy Jamieson: Data on numbers of arrests and charges is not held centrally, nor is there a specific crime code for "incitement to racial hatred". Such crimes will be included within crimes arising from race relations legislation, which includes offences arising from the Race Relations Act of 1976, and those parts of the Public Order Act 1986 which refers to acts likely to stir up racial hatred and the possession of inflammatory material. The available information is shown in the following tables.

  The statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim and there is the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings. A crime may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings concluded in a subsequent year. Crimes committed by children aged under 16 are also generally dealt with through the children’s hearings system rather than the courts.

  It is important to be aware of the differences between the output generated from these different sets of data. Firstly, not all recorded crimes will have been detected by the police, and there can be occasions where the Procurator Fiscal decided not to proceed with a case. When reports are made to the Procurator Fiscal, there might be several charges under race relations legislation against the same individual, which would become a single case. There could also be cases where a person is facing several different charges, which are grouped together, but the offence under race relations legislation is not the main offence. Finally, the statistics on charges proved are only available at the end of the case – it can take up to two years to go through the court systems.

  Number of Crimes Arising from Race Relations Legislation by Police Force, 2001-02 to 2005-06

  

 Police Force
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06


 Central
 0
 2
 1
 4
 0


 Dumfries and Galloway
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0


 Fife
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Grampian
 0
 4
 4
 4
 4


 Lothian and Borders
 0
 4
 0
 6
 3


 Northern
 0
 2
 5
 2
 0


 Strathclyde
 6
 28
 3
 1
 7


 Tayside
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 All Scotland
 6
 41
 13
 18
 14



  Number of Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts where Main Offence Under Race Relations Legislation, 2000-01 to 2004-05

  

 Police Force
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05


 Central
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Dumfries and Galloway
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Fife
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Grampian
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Lothian and Borders
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Northern
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Strathclyde
 0
 0
 1
 1
 0


 Tayside
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0


 All Scotland
 0
 1
 1
 1
 0

Digital Technology

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to expand the availability of high speed broadband where download speeds are limited by the poor transmission quality of existing cabling.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive recognises technical issues such as cable quality can affect the download speeds of existing broadband connections and indeed broadband availability itself.

  We have helped to deliver broadband to every community and to over 99% of Scottish households. Furthermore, at the end of last year, I announced £5 million of funding to further extend broadband coverage where it is currently unavailable. Detailed plans are being developed, with deployment of solutions anticipated over 2007-08.

Fire Service

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for future pensions provision for fire and rescue services’ staff.

Johann Lamont: Pension costs are met in full from grant aided expenditure. The Government Actuary’s Department is currently undertaking an audit of Scottish fire services pension commitments and the results of this exercise will inform funding decisions taken as part of the forthcoming spending review.

Higher Education

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what issues it has raised in relation to the proposal, published in October 2006 by the European Commission and currently under discussion by an ad hoc working group of the European Council, for the establishment of an European Institute of Technology (EIT); whether it has raised such issues with Scottish MEPs, and what discussions have taken place with relevant UK or EU bodies about Scotland being a potential base for the board of the EIT or Scottish individuals or institutions becoming members of the board.

Nicol Stephen: I recently wrote to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry setting out Scottish ministers’ views on the European Commission’s proposal to establish a European Institute of Technology (EIT). I said in my letter that I support the UK’s negotiating strategy which reflects the issues that have been raised by the Scottish higher education sector and other stakeholders which are:

  EIT should add value to competitiveness and innovation and not duplicate or cut across existing instruments such as the Seventh Framework Programme.

  Funding of EIT needs to be clarified.

  EIT should not have independent degree-awarding powers and this should remain the preserve of individual institutions.

  The engagement of business is critical to the success and reputation of the EIT and we need to ensure that businesses in Scotland are involved in the development of the EIT and its proposed Knowledge and Innovation Communities.

  Since the Commission’s Communication was first published, I have written to Alyn Smith, MEP indicating my broad support for the concept of EIT and that further work is needed before the proposal can be fully supported.

  It would be premature to discuss the location for the board of the EIT at such an early stage in the negotiations. However, we will continue to closely monitor this and we will work with the sector and other stakeholders to ensure that Scotland is able to take best advantage of the opportunities that EIT may offer.

Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will fulfil its commitment to enact sections 25 to 29 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990.

Johann Lamont: Sections 25-29 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990 came into effect on 19 March 2007. Guidance for professional or other bodies on making an application to enable their members to acquire rights to conduct litigation and rights of audience is available from the Justice Department. Copies are also held in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

NHS Expenditure

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what actions it intends to take in response to Moving Forward: Review of NHS Wheelchair and Seating Services in Scotland .

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure a more integrated service for those who need to use wheelchairs and for their families and carers.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive recognises that the review identifies priority areas for improvements, including the desire for a more integrated model of service. It will work together with NHSScotland and other agencies involved on how best to implement the recommendations, both in the short and longer term.

  The Executive supports the recommendations that both a project board and an advisory group be established to drive the work forward and that an action plan and the establishment of national guidelines should be a priority. In the meantime, we have provided additional funding to address short-term needs of £1 million in 2007-08, pending consideration of long-term priorities as part of the forthcoming spending review.

NHS Staff

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reassure junior doctors that, under the Modernising Medical Careers programme, they will have some choice about the location of their training posts.

Mr Andy Kerr: As with the previous system of recruitment, mobility and flexibility remain important factors in helping to match doctors to posts. Whilst Scotland is defined by the UK Medical Training Application System (MTAS) as a single unit of application, those short listed for training posts in Scotland have the flexibility to specify their preferred Deanery area. This allows Scottish applicants to exercise maximum choice in determining their eventual post location, and is a system feature that is not available to candidates applying for posts elsewhere in the UK.

NHS Staff

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the Modernising Medical Careers recruitment and selection process.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is aware of concerns about Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) and the Medical Training Application Service across the UK, but delivery of MMC in Scotland remains on track thanks to the hard work of all those involved. Senior clinicians in Scotland have advised that they are satisfied that round 1 selection is going well and they remain committed to supporting the Executive in delivering improvements to postgraduate medical education. A letter to this effect, co-signed by Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, the President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, the Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Chairman of the British Medical Association in Scotland has recently been sent to all junior doctors.

NHS Staff

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints have been received from junior doctors about the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) recruitment and selection process.

Mr Andy Kerr: There is a formal appeal and complaints procedure that is available to all applicants which is publicised through the MMC Scotland website. This process can be invoked where recruitment processes or procedures have not been followed, or there is evidence of unfairness in how the process has been implemented and the objectivity of decisions is called into question. Where these reasons are cited, applicants can request a review by the Medical Training Application System (MTAS) administrators or the appropriate postgraduate dean.

  To date no complaints meeting these criteria have been received in Scotland.

NHS Staff

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many junior doctors it expects to be unemployed as a result of Modernising Medical Careers recruitment and selection process.

Mr Andy Kerr: Competition for speciality training positions in medicine continues to be highly competitive. The modernising medical careers recruitment and selection process is open, fair, transparent and competency based, which will ensure that the best candidates are selected for posts. Scotland will have at least the same number of training posts available under the new system as was available under the old regime. Whilst we expect to fill all our Scottish vacancies with the best available candidates, it is impossible to predict how many of those currently working in Scotland will be successful in securing posts in Scotland.

National Parks

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to address the concerns highlighted in the summary report following the recent consultation on proposals to establish Scotland’s first coastal and marine national park.

Ross Finnie: More than two thirds of those who responded to the consultation on Scotland’s first coastal and marine national park support the idea in principle. However, the consultation also revealed significant detailed concerns which we need to address before decisions are taken.

  The concerns reflected issues raised by business interests in particular, including fisheries, aquaculture and tourism businesses. I have therefore written to the enterprise networks inviting them to review these concerns and to discuss further with relevant interests. Furthermore, I would welcome suggestions from the enterprise networks on measures and options for addressing the concerns raised, going with the grain of the overall policy initiative. I have asked for initial results of this review by the end of June.

  In parallel, my officials will continue to work with the range of public sector bodies concerned to develop further the proposals for a coastal and marine national park.

  The summary of consultation responses, published on 1 March 2007, is available on the Scottish Executive website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/02/28143406/0.

Postal Services

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the employment consequences of the draft European postal service directive.

Nicol Stephen: A draft European Postal Services Directive proposal was issued by the EU Commission in October 2006. It is currently under consideration by the European Council Working Group on postal services, which has asked the Commission, inter alia, to consider the implications on employment of full market opening. The postal services market in the UK was opened to full competition on 1 January 2006.

  The postal sector, its regulation and the European Directives governing it, are reserved issues. The Executive has not made an assessment of the employment consequences of the Directive.

Postal Services

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether and how Scotland will be represented on the regulatory authority provided for in the draft European postal service directive.

Nicol Stephen: The functions of the regulatory authority provided for in the Directive proposal will be carried out in the UK by the Postal Services Commission, Postcomm, which has a UK wide remit. It is governed by a Board of Commissioners which is selected under the rules pertaining to public appointments.

Renewable Energy

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to consult the public on the use of micropower technologies as a way of reducing CO 2 emissions.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive published its draft Energy Efficiency and Microgeneration Strategy for Scotland for public consultation on 12 March 2007. This sets out the Executive’s aims for encouraging a greater uptake of microgeneration. In addition the Executive recently consulted on Scottish Planning Policy 6 on Renewable Energy, including proposals for requiring minimum standards for on-site generation from microgeneration technologies in new developments. The Executive also plans to consult later in the year on detailed changes to planning controls to make the uptake of these technologies easier.

  The consultation on the Scottish Energy Efficiency and Microgeneration Strategy can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/03/09144516/0.

  The consultation responses on Scottish Planning Policy 6 can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/12/04103231/0.